Shoe tree having longitudinally adjustable parts including cone sections alined by the shoes



June 12, 1962 W. J. FITZPATRICK SHOE TREE HAVING LONGITUDINALLYADJUSTABLE PARTS INCLUDING CONE SECTIONS ALINED BY THE SHOES Filed Aug.15, 1957 [320823202 W ZZ azm IEazpawww,

United States Patent SHOE TREE HAVING LONGITUDINALLY AD- JUSTABLE PARTSINCLUDING CONE SEC- TIONS ALINED BY THE SHOES William J. Fitzpatrick,South Weymouth, Mass, assignor to George E. Belcher Company, Stoughton,Mass., a corporation Filed Aug. 15, 1957, Ser. No. 678,372 4 Claims.(Cl. 12117.4)

V This invention relates to shoes trees and to members forinterconnecting the fore and heel parts thereof.

The type of shoe tree that may be adjusted to fit a range of shoe sizeshas obvious advantages. A preferred type of such trees has its fore andheel parts mutually engaged, in its shortened position, along atransverse plane inclined through the cone or vamp supporting area. Onedisadvantageous feature of this type of tree, particularly objectionablein display use, is that, in extended positions, a visible ridge in thevamp of the shoe is developed by outlines one end of the shoe treeparts.

The principal objective of the invention is to provide a shoe tree ofthe preferred type in which objectionable ridging is avoided.

In accordance with the invention, that objective is attained byproviding a shoe tree having fore and heel parts whose proximate upperportions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces arein predetermined position relative to each other, and means connectingsaid parts. The connecting means is an element threaded into one partthrough its face and provided with a head having a slot entrant of avertical slot in the proximate face of the other part. A pin carried bythe slotted tree part extends transversely through the slot thereof andthe slot of the head and the head slot and the pin are so dimensioned asto enable the shoe tree parts to be swung and moved vertically relativeto each other to bring the upper edges of the cone defining portionsinto position to support the vamp without forming visible ridges thereinregardless of the extent to which the length of said shoe tree has beenvaried by the turning of the connecting element relative to the part inwhich it is threaded.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodimentof the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novelfeatures, and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a shoe tree in accordance with theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectioned side view thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a similar view illustrating another embodiment of theinvention.

In accordance with the invention, a shoe tree has a fore part -5 and aheel part 6 having complemental proximate faces 7 and 8, respectively,dividing the shoe tree through its cone or vamp supporting zone 9, seeFIG. 2.

The face 8 of the fore part 5 has a vertical slot 10 formed therein toreceive the head 11 of the element 12 threaded into the heel part 6through the face 7 thereof. A pin 13, carried by the fore part5 andextending through the slot 10, also passes through an aperture in thehead 11. This aperture is dimensioned to enable the parts to swing andto move vertically relative to one another as the length of the shoetree is increased by the turning of the element 12 relative to the heelpart 6. This adjustment, effected as the shoe is treed, as for displaypurposes, carries the portions of the shoe tree parts that outline thevamp supporting cone to be positioned automatically by the shoe so as toavoid vamp ridging.

As shown in FIG. 2, the head apertures may be in the form of a verticalslot 14 or, as shown in FIG. 3, the

3,038,184 Patented June 12, 1962 2 aperture may be L-shaped, asindicated at 15 in FIG. 3, with one part extending vertically and theother part extending approximately in parallel with the axes of theelement 12.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that shoe trees and theconnecting elements therefor are Well adapted to meet the indicatedobjectives without affecting production costs.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts Whose proximate upperportions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces arein a first position relative to each other, and means connecting saidparts, said means including an element threaded into one part throughits face and provided with a head having a slot, said other part havinga vertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and a pincarried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slotthereof and the slot of the head, said head-slot and said pindimensioned relative to each other to enable said parts to be swung andmoved vertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of saidportions into cone outlining relation regardless of the extent to whichthe length of said shoe tree has been varied by the turning of saidelement relative to the part in which it is threaded.

2. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts whose proximate upperportions establish the vamp supporting cone when their proximate facesare approximately in mutual contact, and means connecting said parts,said means including an element threaded into one part through its faceand provided with a head having a slot, said other part having avertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and a pincarried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slotthereof and the slot of the head, said head slot and said pindimensioned relative to each other to enable said par-ts to be swung andmoved vertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of saidportions into cone outlining relation, thereby to avoid ridging the vampregardless of the extent to which the length of said shoe tree has beenlengthened by the turning of said element relative to the part in whichit is threaded.

3. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts whose proximate upperportions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces arein a proximate position relative to each other, and means connectingsaid parts, said means including an element threaded into one partthrough its face and provided with a head having a slot, said other parthaving a vertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and apin carried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slotthereof and the slot of the head, said head slot freely receiving saidpin and being of substantial length and vertically disposed in said headreceiving slot to enable said parts to be swung and moved verticallyrelative to each other to bring the upper edges of said portions intocone outlining relation regardless of the extent to which the length ofsaid shoe tree has been varied by the turning of said element relativeto the part in which it is threaded.

4. A shoe tree comprising fore and heel parts whose proximate upperportions outline the vamp supporting cone when their proximate faces arein proximate position relative to each other, and means connecting saidparts, said means including an element threaded into one part throughits face and provided with a head having a slot, said other part havinga vertical slot in its face into which said head extends, and a pincarried by said slotted part extending transversely through the slotthereof and the slot of the head, the said head slot freely receivingsaid pin and being L-shaped to enable said parts to be swung and movedvertically relative to each other to bring the upper edges of saidportions into cone outlining relation regardless of the extent to whichthe length of said shoe tree has been varied by the turning of saidelement relative .to the part in which it is threaded;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,793,946 McEwan Feb. 24, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany July 17, 1933

